Three die in Tappan Zee bridge tugboat accident

MARCH 14, 2014 — The body of a second crew member, Timothy Conklin, 29, was yesterday recovered following an incident in which an 84 ft tugboat slammed into a stationary barge near the foot of the Tappan Zee Bridge. The body of the captain, Paul Amon, 62, of Bayville, N.J,. had been recovered from the Hudson River Saturday following the incident. Hopes were that the body of the third member of the crew, Harry Hernandez, 56, could be recovered by divers today.

The New York Times reports that the tugboat, Specialist, was escorting a barge carrying a tower crane down the Hudson River to a Jersey City terminal when it hit a stationary barge just south of the bridge, and rapidly plunged about 40 feet, according to officials. The cause of the crash was uncertain on Sunday, and an investigation was continuing.

According to the Times, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo told a news conference in Tarrytown that radio dispatches revealed that the tugboat's crew members were aware their vessel was too close to the barge, but the boat could not move in time.

The ruptured vessel had approximately 5,000 gallons of its own fuel, which was leaking into the river, causing a large sheen of oil, Mr. Cuomo said. Crews erected thousands of feet of boom to contain the oil, and were working to soak it up. Officials do not currently have a timetable to remove the boat, says the Times.